The invention pertains to a lubricating device with at least one lubricant transfer pinion for applying onto at least one gearwheel a lubricant, particularly grease that is transported, for example, from a reservoir through a lubricant conduit by a lubricant pump, wherein the lubricant transfer pinion features external teeth with at least one lubricant outlet.
A device of this type for lubricating gearwheels is known, for example, from DE 201 21 923 U1. The lubricant transfer pinion that is referred to as a crown gear module in this publication has the external contour of a conventional gearwheel with involute toothing. When this known lubricant transfer pinion meshes with a gearwheel to be lubricated, the tip area of the teeth of the lubricant transfer pinion that lies radially outside the reference circle engages into the base area of the teeth of the gearwheel to be lubricated that lies radially inside the reference circle. Consequently, the lubricant is irregularly and unevenly applied onto the gearwheel to be lubricated and, in particular, accumulates in the base area of the teeth of the gearwheel to be lubricated. In addition, the lubricant supply is sometimes insufficient in the area of the contacting tooth flanks that is subjected to high tribological stresses.